Jared Anderson is now training with SugarHill Steward, preparing for his biggest career test against the battle-tested Martin Bakole on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Can SugarHill Transform Anderson?
It’s questionable what SugarHill can do for Anderson unless the idea is to turn him into a mauler, as he did with Tyson Fury. That’s the main addition SugarHill seems to have added to Fury’s game since he took over as his trainer.
I don’t think it will work on the 240+ lb Anderson because he doesn’t have the weight of the 270+ lb Fury to lean on his opponents and wear down their legs. The style that SugarHill taught Fury is too simplistic to work against quality heavyweights.
Fury’s only wins since SugarHill took over as his trainer were against non-world class heavyweights like Dereck Chisora, Deontay Wilder, and Dillian Whyte. Those are not top fighters.
Jared Faces Battle-Tested Bakole
The unbeaten Top-Rank-promoted heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) needs a lot of work to have any shot at defeating Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs) because this is a much better fighter than anyone he’s faced during his five-year professional career.
It’s understandable why Top Rank is putting Anderson in with Bakole because this is the best way to find out if he’s worth keeping around to continue to develop.
Jared’s fighting style is dull. He fights in a safety-first Shakur-esque manner, which fans do not enjoy watching. He was lackluster in fights against Charles Martin and Ryad Merhy.
In the Martin fight, Anderson was on the verge of being knocked out in the final seconds of the contest when he let his guard down and started celebrating.
A Crucial Test for Anderson’s Future
If Anderson goes belly-up against Bakole, Top Rank must decide whether to keep him around or cut him loose to focus on some of its other promising heavyweight prospects.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have the mindset or the fighting style needed to become a star in the division, and he’s getting into trouble outside of the ring.
Anderson is ranked #4 WBO, #5 IBF, #5 WBC, and #13 WBA. His best wins have come against these fighters:
– Charles Martin
– Andriy Rudenko
– Ryad Merhy
– George Arias
– Jerry Forrest
Anderson vs. Bakole are fighting on the undercard of the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov Riyadh Season card on August 3rd.
Jared Anderson teams up with SugarHill Steward ahead of his fight with Martin Bakole on August 3 🧠
Part of the Riyadh Season Card featuring Crawford vs. Madrimov. pic.twitter.com/kCXJb5nay8
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 10, 2024
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